Last Rebellion is the first console RPG developed by studio Hit Maker and published by RPG giant, Nippon Ichi Software. Hit Maker’s previous entries, Dragoneer's Aria, Blade Dancer, and A Witch's Tale were decent RPGs in their own right, but this is Hit Maker’s first attempt on the Playstation 3. The thought of these two companies working together is very exciting. Last Rebellion is a game that many gamers will over look because it's not as popular as a Final Fantasy or Star Ocean game. Does Last Rebellion have the potential to become a great hit?

Presentation

Last Rebellion takes place in Junovald where two gods, Meitilia and Formival rule. Meitilia is the god of death while Formival is the god of life. The game never clearly states the reason for these gods' existence. Having gods in JRPGs seems to be a common theme which gamers might find redundant, though. In addition to these two gods, the world is run by two different types of people: Blades and Sealers. Blades are people that have the power to destroy the body and souls of enemies. On the other hand, Sealers have the power to store or “seal” souls,  which seal enemies and prevents them from coming back to life. The story centers around the confident Blade, Nine Asfel. Nine is forced to share his soul with Aisha Romandine, a Sealer. Since both Nine and Aisha share the same soul, gamers are required to use both characters. Nine and Aisha must protect the kingdom from the evil Belzeds because, like in most RPGs, they are the mediocre heroes of the game. The game is never clear on why the gamer must protect the kingdom, which only further shows the lack of attention to detail in the story.

Last Rebellion's story is unoriginal and lacks substance. The same can be said about the game’s graphics. This is one of the most plain looking PS3 games available. It is sad to see NIS publish such a stale looking title.The in-game characters are pixelated and lack detail, even the environments are dull. Environments aren't interactive, don't have any natural elements such as running water, and lack the detail that gamers have come to expect in an RPG on the PS3. The only visually appealing quality are the still cut-scenes inspired by anime.

Nine wishes he had some shred of light in his game

Last Rebellion's audio is just as unbearable as the graphics. The voice acting is annoying to say the least. Nine wants to sound likea tough Blade, but he comes off as a generically annoying protagonist. The overall soundtrack, however, is fairly decent. The background music is a mix of different rhythmic beats, which gets players pumped up; then during battles, players are treated to techno music that fits the ambience. 

Gameplay

The combat in Last Rebellion is the run-of-the-mill turn-based system with a slight twist. Because Nine and Aisha both share the same soul, they must then both share the same health points (HP), magic points (MP), and command points (CP).  This concept canbe a burden during combat. If Nine loses HP, so does Aisha. The concept of sharing souls also requires them to share the exact same skills as well. This was a confusing choice because it makes it pointless to even have two characters. Gamers will also find that there aren't any other new characters in the game that are obtainable, so players are stuck with Nine and Aisha.

Enemies seem very redundant

During combat, players can attack different parts of enemies, including hands, legs, and the head. Each attack will drain the character's CP, which slowly regenerates by itself or through certain stones found throughout the game. The key strategy is to guess each enemy's weakness.  Players must figure out the correct sequence of attacks in order to deal the most damage. Once gamers figure out the order, a “BINGO” will appear on the screen. The game then saves those sequences of attacks for future encounters. The more "BINGOs" a players rank up, the more the bonus meter increases. With an increased bonus meter, players can increase the experience they gain during a battle by multiplying up to 999 times. Gamers can rank up the experience points and level up even faster than other RPGs. This is good for gamers who like to level up as quickly as they can without having to do a lot of grinding.

Once an enemy's HP is gone, gamers must use Aisha's skills to seal off the enemy and prevent them from reviving during combat. On the other hand, Nine can use his absorption ability to gain MP; this ability will, however, revive fallen enemies faster. Players must use both abilities to keep a good amount of HP and MP.

While the combat is somewhat unique, it can also be confusing for newcomers. Players will find it frustrating to go through the various combinations of attacks in order to find a weak point. The constant switching between characters may also prove to be a nuisance. The most frustrating aspect of Last Rebellion is the lack of traditional RPG elements. There are no options for changing a character's equipment. There are no town or cities for players to visit and because of this there are no NPC to talk to. Most RPGs today also have a reason to come back and replay the game, such as a New Game Plus feature or added bonuses, yet Last Rebellion lacks either.

So we are one?

Final Thoughts: Intended Audience Rating

RPG fans should stay away from Last Rebellion. There are no towns, items,or even anyone to talk to in the game. Attacking different parts of the enemy seems like a new and innovating idea, but it has been done recently in the American RPG, Fallout 3, and it is executed terribly in Last Rebellion. It is possible that fans of anime character  designs might like the still images during dialogues, but that is the only redeemable aspect of this game.

1 out of 5 Shared Souls

Final Thoughts: Overall Rating

Last Rebellion is a game that probably should have been released as a PSP title and would have actually done better on the PSP. The game doesn’t deserve to be called a next gen game. The graphics are, without a doubt, one of the worst to have come onto the PS3 so far. Newcomers to the RPG genre should not start off with this game because it will give them a bad impression of RPG games. Last Rebellion had a lot of potential and if Hit Maker worked on it a little more, it might have turned out decent. Hit Maker didn't live up to its name with this release. Gamers can only hope that their next title will be more of a “hit.”

1 out of 5 Shared Souls